Bala Vaidyanathan is vice president and lead for Data & AI at FedEx. Under his leadership, FedEx has leveraged their extensive data ecosystem to enhance shipping efficiency and improve logistics and supply chain operations. Their data-driven solutions deliver value for both internal teams and external customers.
As a recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award, and with almost 20 years of industry experience, Bala brings deep expertise, curiosity, and a first-principles mindset to every challenge. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in operations research from the University of Florida. His technical research contributions have been published in multiple journals, and he served for several years as an associate editor for the international publication Networks.
Examine how modern insurance solutions are shifting from reactive payouts to proactive protection, supporting supply chain resilience and long-term business stability.
Explore how innovative insurance and financing mechanisms work together to reduce climate risk and unlock capital for climate-resilient and regenerative agriculture.
Edgar Aguilar co-leads UNDP Insurance and Risk Finance Facility’s work on resilient food systems as Value Chain Resilience Specialist based in Rome, Italy. Within his role, Edgar advice governments and insurers on how to combine agricultural insurance into solutions with other financing instruments such as debt and guarantees to serve millions of smallholder farmers,
Previously, Edgar worked for the International Labour Organization (ILO) at its Regional Office for Africa in Côte d’Ivoire for 10 years, where he facilitated public and private partnerships to increase access to finance to agricultural value chains. Supporting the ILO Impact Insurance Facility, Edgar has worked closely with the insurance industry, financial institutions, and value chain players developing risk management solutions for smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America in key value chains such as cocoa, coffee, tea, and cotton. Edgar holds a master’s degree in Rural Development for Southern Countries and an engineer diploma in Agriculture. He speaks Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and Italian.
